Discovering the soul of service - Leonard L Berry

In DISCOVERING THE SOUL OF SERVICE Leonard L. Berry goes beyond the scope of his previous works on service quality to show how flourishing service companies can sustain their success. Focusing on 14 companies that stand out from the pack, including Rent-a-Car and Midwest Express Airlines, Berry identifies nine core values of sustainable success for any service organisation. The single most important factor in building a lasting service business, Berry found, are humane values. Values-driven leadership, he argues, enables employees to realise their full potential as individuals inside and outside of the company. Blending existing academic research with new observations, insights, and examples from field research on the best service organisations, Berry finds that the components of sustainable success in labour-intensive service businesses are common across disparate industries. For managers everywhere, Berry demonstrates the 'grand possibilites accompanying leadership with heart.'

Leonard L. Berry holds the JCPenney Chair of Retailing Studies, and is Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Retailing Studies, at Texas A&M University. A former national president of the American Marketing Association, he is author of On Great Service and coauthor of Marketing Services and Delivering Quality Service, published by The Free Press. Dr. Berry received the 1996 Career Contributions to Services Marketing Award from the American Marketing Association. He also has twice been recognized with the highest honors Texas A&M bestows on a faculty member: the Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching (in 1990) and the Distinguished Achievement Award in Research (in 1996). He is a board member of CompUSA, Hastings Entertainment, Lowe's Companies, Inc., and the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Tom Peters author of The Circle of Innovation Waiting for the "masterwork" on service? Wait no longer. Leonard Berry's Discovering the Soul of Service is it! A brilliant book, eminently compelling case studies from Charles Schwab to Midwest Express. It doesn't get better than this.

David Glass President and Chief Executive Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. A blueprint that will work for anyone wanting to sustain successful service. A must for anyone interested in service businesses.

Garrett H. Jamison President and Chief Executive Officer, Banc One Investment Management Group A treasure for anyone truly serious about sustaining a service culture.

Robert L. Tillman Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Lowe's Companies, Inc. Captures the essence of what is required to sustain success in a labor-intensive service business. An outstanding book.

Jerry Richardson Owner/Founder, Carolina Panthers A world-class resource on leadership values and the human side of business.

Stanley Marcus Chairman Emeritus, Neiman Marcus Len Berry holds the black belt in customer service.